It is well known in the photocure art to provide various finishes for substrate coatings such as flat, glossy, or wrinkle finishes, or intermediate variations of these finishes. These finishes have, up to the present, been attained by using particular chemical formulations or additives such as flatting pigments; allowing a time interval between exposures to ultraviolet light; curing all of the coating, but the surface, and then subjecting the coated substrate to ultraviolet radiation in air until the surface is fully cured; with ultraviolet light, first obtaining a partial cure in air of the interior and exterior coating, the former to a greater degree, second, curing the exterior more than the interior, and finally curing the interior; curing in air all of the coating except for its surface and then irradiating in an inert atmosphere; and curing first the interior of the coating and then the exterior at particular irradiation levels.
The textured finish is of concern here. The term "textured" is defined as a woven or interwoven appearance characterized by the number of weaves or strands per unit of linear distance. This finish is produced by providing a time interval between exposures to ultraviolet light. Unfortunately, this process as it is presently practiced is limited with respect to its capability of (i) providing different texture densities using the same coating, i.e., the provision of a controlled range of texture densities running from coarse to fine to very fine to ultra-fine to texture free; (ii) yielding what is considered to be an ultra-fine texture ("ultra-fine texture" is defined as greater than 150 weaves per inch.); (iii) providing improved optical clarity, non-burnishing properties, and rheology; and (iv) providing selective and/or differential texturing.
More specifically, the known texturing process utilizes very thin coatings to achieve sufficient control over the process to provide the desired texture pattern and depth. The disadvantage of the thin coating is that any imperfection in the coating, such as the presence of foreign matter, shows up at the surface resulting in a substantial waste factor. Further, where thin coatings are not used, the typical result is a relatively coarse and deep texture, i.e., relatively fine textures are simply not obtainable with thick coatings using known texturing techniques.